A garment package with supporting board

ABSTRACT

In a package, a garment such as a shirt has its side portions and tail portion folded on an elongated supporting board which is superposed on the back of the garment. A neck piece at one end of the board is inserted in the garment collar while the other end of the board abuts the fold of the garment tail portion. The board with the garment thereon is then folded upon itself, which causes the garment to be tensioned and firmly supported in a smooth and flat form.

United States Patent Related us. Application Data Roda 1 Sept. 5, 1972 54] A GARMENT PACKAGE WITH 1,805,076 5/1931 Carlston ..223/71 SUPPORTING BOARD 1,838,262 12/ 1931 Kabins ..223/7l 2,081,356 5/1937 Hiss 223/71- [721 g 3 vlganelmruganqr 2,296,138 9/1942 Bezark ..223/71 2,974,837 3/1961 Bochmer ..223/71 73 Assignee; ui Roda S A i 11 3,511,364 5/1970 Airdo ..206/46 gano, Switzerland Primary ExaminerJordan Franklin [22] Flled: 1971 Assistant Examiner-G. V. Larkin 21 Appl. No.: 175,365 Kelman- 57 ABSTRACT [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 884,615, Dec. 12, In a package, a garment such as a shirt has its Side 1969 abandonedportions and tail portion folded on an elongated supporting board which is superposed on the back of the Folelgll Appllmtlon Pl'lm'lty Data garment. A neck piece at one end of the board is in- Dec 23 1968 Switzerland 19500/68 serted in the garment collar while the other end of the board abuts the fold of the garment tail portion. The

board with the garment thereon is then folded upon iti self, which causes the garment to be tensioned and [58] Field of Search ..223/71, 83, 84 B; 206/7 E, firmly supported m a and flat 206/46 AP, 7 R, 7 C 2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 911,278 2/1909 Wilms ..223/7l Z {I 0 C 0/ g P'A'TENTED 19 2 V 3.688.948

sum 1 nrz 7-7626. 5 may MENTOR Lune mpg Ace/VT PATENTEDSEP 51912 SHEEI 2 [IF 2 .Lv'ls! ROM AGENT GARMENT PACKAGE WITH SUPPORTING BOARD The instant application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 884,615 filed Dec. 12, 1969 and now abandoned.

Shirts and other clothes such as pyjamas, blouses, overalls, aprons and the like are usually packaged for sale by folding and fastening them to a supporting means generally made of cardboard so that, having acquired a certain rigidity, such garments may be offered for sale in their most convenient and appealing form.

To provide the garment with the required rigidity, it has been necessary to use holding pins, clips or special cardboards provided, in some portions thereof, with adhesive means.

With the advent on the market of the more recent synthetic fibers the usage of pins has proved to be often inconvenient: first of all pins are not practical to use and secondly they puncture the garment with small holes which never again disappear completely. The use of cardboards, which have been made adhesive at certain spots, has also proved to be unsatisfactory since, in time, the adhesive substance causes deformation of the cardboard and consequently of the garment supported thereby bringing about an undesirable effect.

All these disadvantages are eliminated by the supporting means of the present invention which provides the folded garment with the required rigidity and handiness without usage of pins, clips, or adhesive supports. A further advantage arises from a considerable reduction of the time required for folding the shirt into its packaged form. The supporting means of the invention is charactrized by a strip of cardboard or other equivalent material with a width about equal to the one of the folded garment and with a length only a little less than the double length of the folded garment, said strip being adapted to be bent on itself along a cross line to form two semi-strips: an upper and a lower one, the upper semi-strip having its free end formed with at least a central flap portion adapted to be inserted in the garments collar to keep same tight and rigid; the lower semi-strip having a width which decreases towar'ds its free end or it is less than the width of the upper strip; the position of said cross line about which the two semistrips are folded, being such that, after the garment has been wrapped laterally about the extended strip, the tail portion of the garment has been bent over the lower semi-strip and said flap portion has been introduced into the collar, by bending the lower semi-strip upon the upper one about said cross folding line the garment is subjected to an elastic tension which slightly stretches the same keeps it perfectly smooth and flat. A stripe of transparent or similar material may be used for holding the cuffs on the front surface of the garment.

The accompanying'drawings show by way of example only and absolutely with no [imitative intentions some preferred embodiments of the invention, the supporting means being used in this case in connection with a man s shirt.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the whole supporting means in its extended form.

FIG. 2 is the corresponding edge view.

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the support bent into the two semi-strips: the upper and the lower one.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 show several phases of the folding of the shirt on the supporting means up to the form of a complete package.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are views of three modifications of the upper part of the supporting means.

The supporting means of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, is made of an elongated board or strip 1 of cardboard or other equivalent and sufficiently rigid material with a width A-B about equal to the width A'B' in FIG. 7 of the folded article and with a length C-F in FIG. 1 a little less than double the lengthC'-F' in FIG. 7 of the finished folded shirt.

The strip 1 is adapted to be bent on itself about a transverse folding line A-B to form two semi-strips: an upper one 1' and a lower one 1". The width of the lower semi-strip 1" decreases towards the free end F or is slightly smaller than the width A-B of the upper semi-strip 1.

The upper semi-strip 1' has its free end portion D-C-E in correspondence of the shirts collar, curved or shaped so as to fit to the shape of the shirts shoulders.

At this same end portion D-C-E there are also provided three depending flap elements: the central flap element 2 and two side flap elements 3 and 4 which however be omitted. These three depending flap elements may either be formed with an additional cardboard 5 glued or otherwise fastened as at 6 to the semistrip 1' below. They may have any convenient shape and possibly be so formed as to completely cover the end portion D-E.

The central flap element 2, located in direction of the longitudinal axis of the upper semi strip 1', is adapted to be bent at about a right angle (as shown in FIG. 3) and to be introduced into the collar 8 (see FIG.

7) of the shirt to keep it tight. To this end said central flap is preferably provided with two extensions 2' and 2" which are to be inserted in the collar to give same a perfect shape.

The side flaps 3 and 4, if any, are adapted to be bent at and to be inserted between the two superposed semi-strips 1' and l" as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 when the folding of the shirt is just about to be completed.

The three above mentioned flap elements 2, 3 and 4 may be made integral with the same cardboard which constitutes the semi-strip l' or part of them may be integral with said cardboard and part be made of a separate cardboard portion glued or otherwise fastened to the first cardboard as shown in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 10 the side flap elements 3 and 4 are glued or otherwise fixed at 3 and 4' and have a considerable length so that, after being bent by 180 they may cross one another on the back of the folded shirt.

The steps of folding the shirt using the supporting means of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 to 7. v

The garment, in this case a shirt, is disposed on a surface with its back upwards and the completely extended strip 1 is laid thereon while the central flap portion 2'2 is inserted into the shirts collar.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the two lateral portions 10 and 11 of the shirt are superposed on each other and on the strips 1' and l".

The two sleeves l2 and 13 are bent at about a right angle so that the cuffs 14 and 15 stick out laterally.

The lower end or tail 19 of the shirt is bent over the lower semistrip 1" and comes into the dotted position 19'.

Successively the whole strip covered by the shirt is bent folded about the cross line A-B to form the two superposed semi-strips l' and 1".

The side flap elements 3 and 4 are introduced between said two superposed semi-strips 1' and 1" as in FIG. 6 whereupon the complete package is turned over with the front of the shirt facing upwards.

Passing from the step illustrated in FIG. 5 to the one illustrated in FIG. 6 and in consideration of the fact that the central flap element 2, 2' and 2" is introduced in the shirts collar and the folding of the lower part 19 of the shirt prevents same from sliding, it may be readily seen that the shirt is subjected to an elastic tension so as to acquire a perfectly smooth and even shape.

The package may be completed by utilizing a transparent band 18 to hold the cuffs 14, as shown in FIG. 7.

The original strip 1 may be provided, as shown in H6. 1 with longitudinal slits or cuts 17 to give the said strip necessary cross flexibility while keeping the required longitudinal elasticity.

The separate additional cardboard 5 integral or fixed to the central flap element) may have a considerable surface and such a shape as to eliminate the necessity of having the flaps 3 and 4.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A package comprising in combination a shirt type garment having a front and a back and including a collar, a tail portion and a pair of sleeves, and an elongated supporting board having a length shorter and a width narrower than said garment when the latter is in a flat unfolded condition, said board having a transverse fold line intermediate the ends thereof and when folded on said line providing upper and lower board members, the upper board member having substantially parallel side edges and the lower board member having downwardly convergent side edges so that the lower board member is of a substantially trapezoidal shape, a

relatively short panel secured to and overlying the upper end portion of said upper board member, a neck piece projecting upwardly from said panel beyond the upper edge of the upper board member, and a pair of foldable wings provided at the opposite sides of said panel and projecting laterally beyond side edges of the upper board member, said board with said panel being superposed centrally and longitudinally on the back of said garment with said neck piece inserted into the garment collar, opposite side portion of the garment being folded upon the board over side edges of the latter prior to folding of the board upon itself, the garment tail portion being folded upwardly over the lower edge of the lower board member, said board with the gar ment then being folded upon itself along said fold line to form the two superposed board members between which are disposed multiple thicknesses of the garment, the edge of the lower board member with the garment tail portion being inserted between said panel and the upper board member, and said wings of the panel being folded inwardly and inserted between the upper board member and the. garment tail portion.

2. A supporting board for packaging a shirt type gar- Ji'' fol' ilfi iilfilfifidiii fiii efill ili rlr 18"? it when folded on said line the board provides upper and lower board members, the upper board member having substantially parallel side edges and the lower board member having downwardly convergent side edges so that the lower board member is of a substantially trapezoidal shape, a relatively short panel secured to and overlying the upper end portion of said upper board member, a neck piece projecting upwardly from said panel beyond the upper edge of the upper board member, and a pair of foldable wings provided at the opposite sides of said panel and projecting laterally beyond side edges of the upper board member, said board being adapted to be positioned on and folded with a garment along said fold line to form the two superposed board members with the lower edge portion of the lower board member inserted between said panel and the upper board member, and with said wings of the panel folded inwardly and inserted between the upper and lower board members. 

1. A package comprising in combination a shirt type garment having a front and a back and including a collar, a tail portion and a pair of sleeves, and an elongated supporting board having a length shorter and a width narrower than said garment when the latter is in a flat unfolded condition, said board having a transverse fold line intermediate the ends thereof and when folded on said line providing upper and lower board members, the upper board member having substantially parallel side edges and the lower board member having downwardly convergent side edges so that the lower board member is of a substantially trapezoidal shape, a relatively short panel secured to and overlying the upper end portion of said upper board member, a neck piece projecting upwardly from said panel beyond the upper edge of the upper board member, and a pair of foldable wings provided at the opposite sides of said panel and projecting laterally beyond side edges of the upper board member, said board with said panel being superposed centrally and longitudinally on the back of said garment with said neck piece inserted into the garment collar, opposite side portion of the garment being folded upon the board over side edges of the latter prior to folding of the board upon itself, the garment tail portion being folded upwardly over the lower edge of the lower board member, said board with the garment then being folded upon itself along said fold line to form the two superposed board members between which are disposed multiple thicknesses of the garment, the edge of the lower board member with the garment tail portion being inserted between said panel and the upper board member, and said wings of the panel being folded inwardly and inserted between the upper board member and the garment tail portion.
 2. A supporting board for packaging a shirt type garment, said board being elongated and having a transverse fold line intermediate the ends thereof so that when folded on said line the board provides upper and lower board members, the upper board member having substantially parallel side edges and the lower board member having downwardly convergent side edges so that the lower board member is of a substantially trapezoidal shape, a relatively short panel secured to and overlying the upper end portion of said upper board member, a neck piece projecting upwardly from said panel beyond the upper edge of the upper board member, and a pair of foldable wings provided at the opposite sides of said panel and projecting laterally beyond side edges of the upper board member, said board being adapted to be positioned on and folded with a garment along said fold line to form the two superposed board members with the lower edge portion of the lower board member inserted between saId panel and the upper board member, and with said wings of the panel folded inwardly and inserted between the upper and lower board members. 